Outdoor commentary and legislative issues.
Goldfinch
Among the 10 species of woodpeckers featured in the videos, the drumming of a Pileated Woodpecker is a standout, as always (photo by Tanner Martin).
Drumming is an important form of communication for woodpeckers, and hearing a rapid rat-a-tat-tat-tat can help you identify which species is drumming. Similar to learning to identify songbird calls, with a little practice you can identify some woodpeckers by the speed, cadence, and rhythm of their drumming. Woodpecker drumming may not be as immediately distinctive as bird songs, but by carefully listening to duration and rhythm of the drumming – even the perceived loudness of the woodpecker with reference to its location – you can still tell many species apart.
For woodpeckers, drumming serves the same function as singing does for songbirds: It advertises a bird’s territory, helps to attract mates, and alerts others “here I am.” Males and females drum among most woodpecker species, and now you can compare the drumming of similar and very different species of woodpeckers. In an informative article filled with insightful videos that feature species ranging from Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers to Northern Flickers and Pileated Woodpeckers – you can review the sights and sounds of woodpeckers drumming that can help you identify them in your neighborhood and in the field. Provided by All About Birds, you can get started by simply referring to How to Recognize Woodpeckers by Their Drumming Sounds | All About Birds
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Although it looks like this Rufous Hummingbird is feeding on flower nectar, it is probably also gleaning insects among the plants (photo by Bryan Wilburn).
Every birder has observed hummingbirds darting among flowers to feed on sugary flower nectar, but hummingbirds eat tiny insects and spiders too. Sugary liquids like flower nectar and tree sap along with protein-rich insects that include gnats and aphids play important roles in hummingbirds’ diet, according to Zach Hutchinson, a community naturalist with Audubon Rockies. And while there are many factors that affect what a hummingbird eats, ranging from its species to where it is located and what foods are available, it’s helpful to understand that a hummingbird’s diet can also evolve during the season.
Just as a person may eat more carbs before a long bike ride or get extra servings of protein when they are going through a growth spurt, hummingbirds may adjust what they eat in advance of and during periods when nesting, migrating, molting, and when they need to get through periods of cold weather. Flower nectar fuels a hummingbird’s high-speed metabolism and it powers their long migration flights. Nectar also fuels their daily foraging needs (including searching for tiny insects), and it boosts hummingbirds’ ability to survive sometimes erratic weather, including cold spells.
With their racing metabolisms, hummingbirds are always on the edge of survival and need to feed often each day or they could risk starving. Read more
A black bear entered a tent at Beavertail Hill State Park campground on Tuesday morning. Campers were in the tent, but fortunately nobody was injured.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks responded and was able to locate and euthanize the bear. The bear had become habituated to people and remained in the area looking for food and other attractants.
Beavertail Hill State Park is about 30 miles east of Missoula and is currently open to visitors. Read more
Grand Island, Nebr. — Hornady proudly presented a donation of $55,030.56 to the Nebraska Cattlemen’s Disaster Relief Fund in support of ranchers impacted by the devastating wildfires that swept across Nebraska ranchland earlier this year.
The donation was presented at Hornady headquarters in Grand Island on Monday, June 1st. It was accepted by Laura Field, Executive Vice President of Nebraska Cattlemen, and Taralee Hudson, Director of Producer Relations for Nebraska Cattlemen.
Funds were raised through the “Nebraska Strong” wildfire relief t-shirt campaign, a generous contribution from Hornady Gear, and a dollar-for-dollar matching donation from Steve Hornady and Jason Hornady. Read more
Photo courtesy of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks
HELENA – If you love birds and summer evenings and science interests you, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has the perfect activity for you.
FWP, Montana Audubon and Tracy Aviary are collaborating to track common nighthawks this summer to gain more data on these cryptic birds, and they are inviting citizens to help conduct surveys across the state.
The common nighthawk is a Species of Greatest Inventory Need in Montana. Their populations are nationally in decline, but more data is needed to assess conservation needs. Now through Aug. 10, citizens can help these agencies by doing passive listening surveys.
Watching a short, online training video is required, and people may choose from many survey routes across the state. Participants need to fill out a volunteer form and waiver. All of the documents and information can be found at montanabirdsurveys.weebly.com/nightjars. Read more
June 2, 2026
Contact: Mark Boersen, 989-275-5151, ext. 2722730 or Brian Piccolo, 989-275-5151, ext. 2722030
A 150-pound black bear that wandered into a Mt. Pleasant neighborhood and climbed a tree directly over a white-picket fence was captured and safely relocated to a northern Michigan swamp Tuesday.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources partnered with Mt. Pleasant police, firefighters and city workers to isolate the male bear in the tree and then tranquilize and tag the animal before transporting it about 60 miles away to the Houghton Lake area.
 With a crowd of residents watching from a safe distance, the tranquilized bear fell unharmed about 18 feet into a thick pole vault pad borrowed from Mt. Pleasant High School.
“Sometimes bears wander in and out of developed areas, but this one was so far inside the city limits that we thought it best to intervene and take the bear out of this situation in a safe manner,” said Mark Boersen, a DNR wildlife biologist who participated in the effort. “Eventually, he would come down out of the tree, probably at night, but removal is the safest situation for people and their pets and the bear. Everything worked out well.” Tuesday morning, Mt. Pleasant police and DNR Conservation Officer Michael Lator responded to reports of the treed bear near Fancher and Mosher streets, a residential area north of Central Michigan University. The DNR’s Wildlife Division was called in to tranquilize and transport the bear. Assisting in that effort were Boersen; Scott Larsen, the DNR’s state wildlife veterinarian; and Brian Piccolo, a DNR wildlife biologist and field operations manager. The City of Mt. Pleasant provided a bucket truck to help biologists discourage the bear from climbing further up the tree. The animal was then tranquilized with a dart rifle. Once the bear was safely down from the tree, biologists did a medical workup of the animal – finding it healthy – and attached an identifying red ear tag. It wasn’t immediately known where the bear originated, but Piccolo said it likely ventured over from the Chippewa River corridor, which is about a mile and a half west of the neighborhood. The capture and relocation come three weeks after the DNR confirmed a bear sighting in the Carleton/Flat Rock area in southeast Michigan’s Monroe County. While the vast majority of Michigan’s more than 12,000 bears live in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, it’s not uncommon to see them in mid-Michigan and even occasionally in southern Michigan. “In a general sense, you may encounter a bear anywhere in the Lower Peninsula,” Boersen said. “Obviously they’re less likely as you go south. But people in the Lower Peninsula should not assume that they would never have a bear come in their yard.” Read more |
The hunter immediately reported the incident to the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.
On the evening of May 16, a hunter shot and killed a male grizzly bear in defense of life after it charged him and his young son from a short distance away while they were hunting black bears near the Cave Falls Road on the Caribou-Targhee National Forest outside of Ashton.
The hunters were sitting on the edge of a meadow when a grizzly began crossing it and seemed to pick up their scent. The grizzly then changed direction and headed directly toward the two hunters. As the hunters attempted to alert the grizzly to their presence, it began to charge directly toward them. The man fired at the charging bear with his sidearm before quickly switching to his hunting rifle, killing it within 5 yards of where he was standing.
The man called the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office as soon as he was able and reported the incident. Idaho Fish and Game was notified and immediately responded. After conducting a thorough investigation, it was determined that the hunter acted in defense of life, as he and his son were being charged by a bear from a close distance.
Grizzly bears are protected under state and federal law, and Fish and Game reminds hunters that grizzly bears may be encountered in the Greater Yellowstone area and parts of northern Idaho. Grizzly bears also occasionally visit as far south as the Grangeville area and into the Salmon Region in central Idaho.
Here are some good reminders when hunting in grizzly country:
GLASGOW – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists completed 2026 spring aerial surveys of deer population trends across Region 6 in northeastern Montana. The surveys indicate general increases in most districts.
Every year, Region 6 wildlife biologists conduct aerial surveys across 11 deer trend areas across the region to assess mule deer population trends in total observations and fawn recruitment ratios. Mule deer surveys occur post hunting season, usually in December and January, and again in the spring in March and April to estimate winter survival. The following results focus on the spring survey. Note that the trend areas surveyed are meant to be a sample of the total land area, and deer populations may vary across the region and in individual hunting districts.
An important factor of spring surveys is fawn to adult ratios that indicate fawn recruitment. Fawns that have survived their first winter, which is typically the hardest period in the annual cycle, are considered recruited into the population. These ratios can help inform FWP on overall winter survival, how the population is faring as it enters the summer season, and what the potential for growth might be in the upcoming year.
Northeast Montana region-wide summary
The 2026 winter across northeast Montana was fairly mild, but some areas in the extreme northeast corner had more difficult conditions with heavy snow. However, an early warming event in January melted most of the existing snow and the area experienced an open and mild winter from mid-January to spring, which is often the most challenging months for big game animals. Read more
Click to watch as a monarch is tagged at the OKC Zoo!
Twenty “first generation” Oklahoma monarchs were tagged with small solar-powered transmitters at the Oklahoma City Zoo to track their northbound migration. These butterflies were raised from eggs laid in Edmond by a female monarch that had overwintered in Mexico and migrated to the state earlier this spring. They joined dozens of other monarchs tracked by conservation groups, including 20 individuals cooperatively tagged by the Dallas and Oklahoma City zoos.
“The amount of information these tags are providing is amazing,” said Emily Geest, OKC Zoo conservation scientist. “We can check in on each butterfly and follow their journey across the Red River and further north.”
The transmitter weighs about 10% of the butterfly’s weight and is comparable to a grain of rice. It sends a signal every time it connects to a device with Bluetooth and location services enabled. The free Project Monarch Science app shows the location of tagged butterflies and allows users to scan for active tags in their vicinity. One Oklahoma butterfly nicknamed “Verbena” has traveled more than 200 miles from the zoo and was last detected near Emporia, Kansas.
Want to learn more about one of North America’s rarest songbirds? Take advantage of two free tours featuring the Kirtland’s warbler and its jack pine habitat.
The outings, set for 7-10 a.m. Saturday, May 30, and again Saturday, June 13, will start and end at the DNR’s Grayling field office, 1955 Hartwick Pines Road, in Crawford County.
The tours will start with a short presentation detailing the Kirtland’s warbler history, past and current status, and future management strategies. Once nearly extinct, the gray and yellow songbird remains a state-threatened species, with about 95% of its worldwide population nesting in northern Michigan.
Tour participants will then make the short drive to tour the jack pine habitat and observe the warbler. This involves a roughly half-mile walk on a trail road. Bring sturdy footwear, binoculars, water and bug spray.
These events will take place rain or shine. RSVP to Tim Riley at RileyT6@Michigan.gov or 989-370-7313.